Sylvie Guillem

Sadler’s Wells London / Sylvie Guillem6000 miles away

Ek/Forsythe/Kylián

By Sylvie Guillem

Massimo Murru - Vaclav Kunes - Natasa Novotna

Words are not adequate to describe her talent. Sylvie Guillem is a woman with an exceptional gift, to say the least. Maybe she could have had a career as a gymnast, if her life hadn’t taken a completely different direction after watching a performance by the Ballet de l’Opera de Paris. Over the course of her glittering career – in which she has danced principal roles with the most prestigious ballet companies in the world – she has shown herself to be a true dance personality; not only technically outstanding, but also gifted with a strong, individual sense of style. Her rise to stardom was rapid, and she is still one of the most sought-after ballerinas in the world. Sylvie Guillem, undeniably the ballerina of her generation, is returning to the Holland Dance Festival.

In 6000 miles away, she is dancing new works by Mats Ek and William Forsythe, and she invited Jirí Kylián to add his mysterious duet 27'52" to the programme. During rehearsals of the works in London, a tsunami and nuclear disaster took place at the other side of the world, in Japan. Being an engaged person, Guillem decided to dedicate her production to the victims; hence the title 6000 miles away. But the name also contains another reference. It is a tribute to people’s power of being able to empathise with and admire one. This is a true 'must' for every dance enthusiast, and a one-of-a-kind event, to be seen only in The Hague.